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New Lordaeron
New Lordaeron emerged from tearly in Year 28 following the War against the Lich King in part due to multiple concerted efforts from the Argent Dawn, Argent Crusade, Cenarion Circle, and Lordaeron Temple Knights. Rising from the Scourge-infested Plaguelands, New Lordaeron was formed when settlers (primarily human) began flocking northwards following the economic devestation in the south. These settlers arrived when it became known that the Lich King had perished in Northrend and the Scourge of the Plaguelands had been contained. Refugees of the original Kingdom of Lordaeron were some of the first to make their way back. Dreams of prosperity beckoned many to the recovering Plaguelands and soon communities began to emerge east of Tyr's Hand under the protection of Lord Lutheri Forsen. Within the space of a few months, a military administration could no longer contain the expanding Lordaeron population and thereby the first vestiages of civilian governance appeared. ---- The Kingdom of Lordaeron and Occupation of the Scourge The nation of New Lordaeron emerged from the ruins the Kingdom of Lordaeron, which had collapsed in Year 20 when Prince Arthas Menethil slew his father, King Terenas Menethil II. Their once proud heritage dissolved as the undead Scourge rampaged through the countryside. The intense piety common to the people of Lordaeron was channelled into the zealotry of the Scarlet Crusade or the rational devotion of the Argent Dawn. The Scarlets managed to maintain a few bastions of power throughout Lordaeron which would later prove useful for the Lordaeron Temple Knights or Argent Crusade in refortifying. However, they did not possess the respect for law that would be necessary to build a nation. For eight years, the Lordaeron's lands festered under the blight of the Scourge and the Lich King's majordomo: Kel'Thuzad. The War against the Lich King At the start of Year 27, the Lich King released the might of his undead forces against Azeroth. His blatant aggression rallied the factions of Azeroth to combat him in Northrend. However, the Scourge retained a foothold in the Plaguelands. It was the Lordaeron Temple Knights and a small portion of the Argent Dawn that contained the undead threat while the majority of the war was fought in Northrend. The interim Tyr's Hand State After the Battle of Tyr's Hand, numerous disputes between the Lordaeron Temple Knights and the Argent Crusade began to emerge. Matters of judicial authority were the first to arise. Then problems regarding sanition. Next, matters escalated with argued over where religious rituals could and could not be performed. Lord Lutheri Forsen and Highlord Fordring spent sometime in heated debate before agreeing to jointly administering the city. The Lordaeron Temple Knights would be the ones to populate the city while the Argents would defend it. Also, Fordring gave the Temple Knights the parcel of land that the ruins of New Avalon stood upon for the purpose of resettlement. This event would mark the beginning of what would later be dubbed the "Tyr's Hand State." Essentially, New Lordaeron would emerge out of this small jointly administered city and small land grant. It would be the influx of refugees to flood in after the Battle of Stromgarde gave the impetus for the formation of a civilian government---which was to be led by Lord Beketus Caballero. News of this bastion forming in the north proved to inspire those in the south that were suffering from the economic turmoil following the War of the Lich King. Within a few weeks, homeless vagabonds, convicts, refugees, and exiles would stream into the region of Darrowmere Forest to erect to villages and rebuild the old ones. The Borough Divisions Once it became apparent that the Tyr's Hand administration could no longer maintain the security of New Lordaeron, Lord Lutheri Forsen convened the Council of Headmen. The council consisted of the headmen from each of the new nation's emerging settlements. These representatives gathered in Tyr's Hand in mid-autumn and agreed on the creation of ten administrative units within New Lordaeron. These units would be known as "boroughs" as they had been known before the Third War. There were to be nine boroughs and Tyr's Hand would considered an administrative district. The matter of Tyr's Hand nearly divided the Council of Headmen as each wanted the new capital city to be located in their own borough. Luckily, Lord Lutheri Forsen crafted the "Tyr's Hand Compromise" in which the city would remain outside of the boroughs and be ruled by a Lord-Administrator. Furthermore, the headmen agreed that the Lordaeron Temple Knights would continue to act as the national military force; yet, each borough was permited to possess a militia of up to five hundred men-at-arms. Various other arrangements were made in regards to anti-corruption ordinances, taxation protocols, judicial processes, and inter-borough agreements. Within four days, the Council ended and the headmen returned to their villages. The Assembly of Lords The final stage of New Lordaeron's development came in the form of the Assembly of Lords. On the third day of Latter Winter in the Year 28, leaders from the various boroughs journeyed to Tyr's Hand for a convention of political importance to the future of New Lordaeron. These leaders were soon to be acknowledged as the Lords of New Lordaeron. However, this aristocracy was not universally recognized prior to this meeting---in fact prior to this time, there was no concept of an aristocracy in New Lordaeron---it was all informal. These leaders were members of importance in their borough of residence. They either possessed power over the populace by way of holding control over the borough's headmen such as with the Galbarrows in Stratholme Province or they ruled for past merits such as recognition of House Mohrgan's heritage or In Blackwood Borough the people recognized the hero Geoffrey Brambleward. The meeting was called by Lord Marshal Lutheri Forsen and supported by Lord Bishop Daern Truefaith. Requests were sent out to each of the boroughs Some believe that this move to aristocracy was inevitable---that a rigid social hierarchy is too deeply engrained into the psyche of Lordaeron. ---- The Boroughs Tyr's Hand Township Ruling House: House Forsen Leader: Lord Lutheri Forsen The Township is not classified as a borough; instead sit is considered to be an administrative district. This came about as a solution known as the Tyr's Hand Compromise. Originally, half of the present Corin's Crossing Borough territory was to be administered under the name of the Tyr's Hand Borough. The compromise allowed Tyr's Hand to be the capital of New Lordaeron at the cost of losing most of its territory. At present, the borders of the Tyr's Hand city are included in the district with the eastern wall of the city forming their east border to the Havenshire Borough while the west border is approximately five miles west of the city's west wall and an area of farmland for the people of the city known as "Tyr's Fiefs." The north border is formed by the untraversable Southern Amani Ridge and the south is formed by coastal ridges along the sea. Havenshire Borough Northdale Borough Corin's Crossing Borough Blackwood Borough Thondroril Borough East Darrowmere Borough West Darrowmere Borough Stratholme Province Hearthglen Province ---- The Earls Earls are lesser lords appointed by a borough-lord to administer an area that needs specific attention. Some sectors of a borough require a skilled tactician to design and build defenses; some might require an experienced farmer to implement protocols on irrigation, so on and so forth. These earls can occasionally stand in for the lords during meetings and negotiations such as Earl Trevor Browman standing in for his father Lord Augustus Browman who is 86 years old. FORSEN: Tyr’s Reach: Earl Jannor Marlton (Military) Tyr’s Fief: Earless Marian Dollwright (Agriculture) CABALLERO: Havenshire: Earl Adamant Perth (Agriculture) Tyr’s Bay: Earl Samuel Martel (Trade) BROWMAN: Mereldar: Earl Trevor Browman (Culture) Light’s Shield: Earless Bethlyn Lowgray (Diplomacy) BRAMBLEWARD: Eastwall: Earl Boris Svorian (Military) Millingvale: Earl Charles Zverenhoff (Trade) LOSSIER: Amani Hills: Earless Roshana Markswyn (Military) Northpass: Earless Candice Daronward (Military) GALBARROW: Plaguewood: Earl Agon Galbarrow (Military) Tirionshire: Earl Jemson Galbarrow (Trade) MOHRGAN: Marris Hill: Earless Agatha Marris (Agriculture) Crown Guard: Earl Ekhard Shawreeve (Military) ANDYR-BAROV: Chillwind Valley: Earl Desmond Ravenholdt (Trade) Sorrow Hills: Earl Kurthland Andyr (Culture) STANNARD: South Thondroril: Earl Micah Stannard (Culture) Upper Thondroril: Earless Morea Stannard (Agriculture) Demographics Population Origin Nationalities of Population Some have been known to call New Lordaeron a "refugee state" as its population is massive assemblage of citizens comes from each of humanity's Seven Kingdoms, along with pockets of dwarves, high elves, and night elves living amongst the people. Those from Alterac, Stromgarde, Lordaeron, and Gilneas have all been refugees as the states they come from no longer exist. As the graph illustrates, only a quarter of the population were original citizens of Lordaeron. Estimates place the Kingdom of Lordaeron as losing a half of its once vast population during the Third War, then the population split again between refugees that fled to Stormwind and those that joined the Scarlet Crusade. The people presently in New Lordaeron are primarily coming from refugees that had moved to Stormwind and Argent Crusaders who pulled out of the Scarlet Crusade when Maxwell Tyrosus departed. Social Classes Lower Class As with most feudal agrarian societies, New Lordaeron's population is dominated by members of the lower class. These people consist of the nation's economic backbone. They are farmhands, fishermen, miners, builders, and foresters. It is estimated that half of them are literate. So far, the Assembly of Lords have yet to perform any action to improve the educational or economic conditions of the lower classes. It is important to note that lower class is not a reference to peasantry. In Lordaeron, the notion of a peasant is of an individual bound to the service of a lord in exchange for food and a place to live. Their ability to make their own money was limited and their freedoms were kept in check by the gentry. The Third War broke down the distinction between aristocracy and peasantry. Some far, the concept has yet to be revived despite the efforts of some such as Lord Hestein Mohrgan. The lower classes are more aware of their own collective strength and now prefer monetary compensation instead of returning to semi-slavery. Middle Class One of the signs of a prosperous nation is a growing middle class. In New Lordaeron, the middle class does grow---yet slowly. These people represent nearly a quarter of New Lordaeron's people. Primarily they are merchants and craftsmen such as carpenters, potters, bakers, artisans, smiths, lower level bureaucrats, knights, and the clergy. Thus far, the middle class is localized around urban centers were they might conduct trade or where their workshops are located. Furthermore, this class is nearly 80% literate and possess a strong education based upon their trade skill. New Lordaeron has struggled to encourage the development of a middle class. Lord Marshal Lutheri Forsen has begun put pressure on the Caballero Banks to put more focus on granting riskier loans to members of the lower class for the sake of encouraging new business development and thereby elevate them to the middle class. Upper Class New Lordaeron's upper class mainly consists of members of the ruling aristocracy and adventurous business people seeking expansion into the new nation. Half of the upper class were born to their wealth such as Lord Beketus Caballero or Lord Thadaen Andyr-Barov and the other half are individuals that rose to that position such as Lord Vagan Lossier or Lord Geoffrey Brambleward. A notable difference between the upper class to the others is that money is the determining factor---although money can definitely help. Power over the people or power within a state determines whether or not someone is a member of the upper class. House Lossier is proud of barely having more than a potter's family in the way of wealth or land---but the command over the hearts and minds of the people in Northdale Borough is what places them in the upper class. Infrastructure and the Economy As to be expected with a fledging nation, New Lordaeron's economy lacks the stability seen in Stormwind or Ironforge. Furthermore, it also lacks the strong manufacturing backbone that has allowed such nations to fight large scale wars. Agriculture, forestry, and mining are the key elements in New Lordaeron's economy because they require the unskilled labor that New Lordaeron is teeming with. There are a few endeavors on the part of a few bold entreprenuers, typically of the upper class, such as Lord Erek Galbarrow and his brothers leading the construction industry with the Galbarrow Consortium or Lord Beketus Caballero's banking empire. However, with low costs on raw materials, members of the middle class have managed to gain a foothold in the market, such as Rayren Onerplow of Thondroril's Onerplow Boatwright Co. or Thesus Philostrate's New Avalon Foundry and Works. For centuries the assumption has been that the middle class is the driving force for manufacturing and the upper is the force for the services market. The same is true for New Lordaeron. The Caballero Banks Because many of the residents in New Lordaeron arrived in the country with little more than the clothes on their back, the need for coin to energize the entreprenuerial spirit was critical. This need was satisfied by the creation of the Caballero Bank in New Avalon that began to grant loans out to various parties. Once the initial returns came in, the Caballeros began expanding to all of New Lordaeron's urban centers infusing the economy with small bursts of currency acquired through tariffs and docking fees at Tyr's Bay. Agriculture By far, agriculture is the most dominant of New Lordaeron's industries---however, this is to be expected for a nation so far from a trade partner that might be capable of providing for their sustenance needs. The most unskilled of laborers have been able to be trained to work in the fields. East Darrowmere Borough remains the most productive of the agricultural boroughs. Thondroril Borough's river valley is nearly as productive---thereby leading to an unspoken competition between the the Stannards and Mohrgans to be the aristocratic family most responsible for administering New Lordaeron's most productive breadbasket. The other boroughs have their own farms spread all about their territory---however, most are the possessions of individual planters rather than in Thondroril and East Darrowmere in which the borough itself owns the farms. Favored crops to being grown in New Lordaeron consist of wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, snow corn, elf corn, pumpkins, squash, turnips, carrots, along with the traditional Lordaeron apples, Darrowmere pears, sunfruit, and elven grapes. There have been a few bold farmers that have sought to introduce beans and berries as large-scale crops; however, the majority of farmers still see these as "garden crops." Cash crops are a rare sight in New Lordaeron; however, it is well known that the Stannards have begun planting flax for the sake of reinforcing the textile market---likely to benefit the textile merchants of Tyr's Hand Township. There are a few fields in the Northdale and Blackwood Boroughs in which hemp is being grown for the sake of crafting ropes or hemp fabrics---but these are more for small scale use and not a market trading good. Forestry Harvesting timber has been a major pursuit in Lordaeron for centuries. The industry had been strictly regulated by the king prior to the Third War to prevent overexploitation and now with that regulations no longer enforced and a market crying out for lumber to build the nation---forestry is one of New Lordaeron's most profitable industries. Demand for the material is coming from Stratholme Province, in which the city of New Stratholme is being constructed, West Darrowmere, in which Caer Darrow is being refortified, and from the Havenshire Borough which is mostly deforested and requires the timber in their ship-building enterprises. Supply is coming from the Blackwood Borough at present; yet, Northdale and Corin's Crossing are slowing catching up in ouput. Mining Prior to the Third War, mining was seen as one of the worst pursuits for a man. The solid manufacturing base of the nation often required specialized metals that were easily imported from Alterac, Stromgarde, and Ironforge. Therefore, few mine shafts were opened throughout the region. Luckily, this also meant that any veins of ore had not been completely tapped. Once the forestry and agriculture industries were established, the Caballero Banks began actively encouraging would-be entreprenuers to utilize several long abandoned mine shafts. The Bank was willing to fund their endeavors for a cut of the profits. One of their first takers was New Avalon Foundry and Works who began mining operations not in an abandoned mineshaft south of Tyr's Bay. Not long after, more takers emerged from through the nation. The Bank began to send surveyors out to locate new sources to ore for mines to be build and new investments made. At present, the mining industry has the strongest presence in Stratholme Province and West Darrowmere. ---- Religion ---- Culture ---- Military For more information on New Lordaeron's militia, see Militias of New Lordaeron For more on New Lordaeron's army, see Lordaeron Temple Knights Relations with other Factions